MARCH 24, 2015
PALM BEACH, FLORIDA
A spill of concentrated pesticide on South County Road at
Royal Palm Way closed that section of the road for nearly two hours Tuesday.
At 11:58 a.m., a gallon jug of cypermethrin fell from a
truck onto the road. A car hit the jug, spilling the chemical on the road from
Royal Palm Way to Phipps Plaza, said Palm Beach Fire-Rescue Battalion Chief
Sean Baker.
Fire-rescue personnel found out from a hazardous materials
information service that the chemical would have been highly toxic to the
environment had it come in contact with water, he said.
Cypermethrin, which kills insects that eat it or come into
contact with it, is “highly toxic” to fish, water insects and bees, according
to the National Pesticide Information Center.
“It was a concentrated substance, so one gallon mixed with
water can make anywhere from 1,500 to 5,000 gallons of product,” Baker said.
“We were concerned that if it had run down a drain and into the Intracoastal,
it would have killed marine life.”
The spill was contained before it entered any drains, Baker
said.
West Palm Beach’s regional hazardous materials unit cleaned
up the spill, he said. By 1:50 p.m., the road had reopened, Baker said.
South County Road was closed from Royal Palm Way to Seaview
Avenue during the clean up.